Anchor Bay rebooting Silent Night, Deadly Night

Ho-ho-horror from another killer Santa

In the same week that Platinum Dunes pressed the reset button on the Halloween series for a second time, Anchor Bay has announced it will be rebooting a classic horror film of its own in the form of Silent Night, Deadly Night .

Released back in 1984, Silent Night, Deadly Night told the story of a young man who witnessed his parents' murder by a man in a Santa suit, was abused in a Catholic orphanage, and then embarked upon a Santa-suited killing spree of his own.

The remake will be a "modern adaptation" of that story, focusing on the efforts of local law enforcement to track down the festive felon, with Malcolm McDowel playing a character called Sheriff Cooper. Variety describes him as "a small-town hero ready for some big-time action."

The killer himself will apparently have the same backstory as the original slasher, although it sounds as though most of the action will revolve around the efforts of the police to bring his rampage to a halt.

Going by the abbreviated title Silent Night , the film will be directed by Steven C. Miller from a script by exec producer Jayson Rothwell. No release date has been confirmed as yet, but production is set to begin next month ahead of a potential Christmas opening.